


Visions of a Shirtless Drell

by ro_shepard



Series: The Misadventures of Rosario Shepard [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, BFFs, Dreams, F/M, Fantasizing, Masturbation, No Shepard without Vakarian, Shirtless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-07-16 17:50:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7277872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ro_shepard/pseuds/ro_shepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard catches her first glimpse of a shirtless Thane and her imagination runs wild.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place soon after Thane's recruitment. He and Shepard are friendly, but there is still an air of formality. This takes place shortly after my Grunt's Lap Dance story.

Shepard heard the loud thuds and slams as she approached the rear of the cargo hold. She was pretty sure that she also heard quite the exchange of untranslatable krogan expletives.

The commander smiled and shook her head - she must have stumbled onto one of Thane and Grunt's sparring sessions. She had gone down to ask the assassin for some upgrade recommendations for the Normandy. Shepard had made it a point to ask all of her new recruits for their assessment and advice. Their lives were on the line as well so, it was important to Shepard that everyone have a say on any upgrades.

Shepard had not yet made up her mind about the drell assassin. Yes, he was certainly a skilled fighter, an excellent marksman, and as Joker had so eloquently put it, the strong, sensitive, murdering type, but Thane Krios was dangerous. Shepard had no doubts about that after witnessing the swift efficiency of his assassination skills first hand. Thane Krios was also very attractive, something that a few of the others had noticed as well. Her assistant, Kelly Chambers, had confessed from the start that she had found the assassin sexy. Scary too, but sexy. His tight, black leather outfit definitely helped to validate the claim. Shepard had worked with plenty of attractive people before, but none had been as enigmatic as the drell assassin.

While Thane had kept mostly to himself, whenever Shepard did witness his interactions with the crew, and with her, he was always courteous, chivalrous, but still intense. Shepard had noticed that the drell's piercing gaze with his large, dark eyes was always profound, consuming... _knowing_. The drell assassin noticed all and remembered all. It was intimidating.

"Focus, Grunt!"

"I am focused, Drell!" Grunt exclaimed with frustration, "your kind is just so slippery."

"Then you must prepare an attack accordingly," Thane stated with no sympathy. "Krogans have size and strength, yes, but winning battles is more about strategy and planning. Now... come at me again."

Shepard hid behind a stack of cargo crates to observe her two crew members. She could have just announced her presence, but she didn't want formalities for her sake. She just wanted to see, first-hand, how the sparring sessions were coming along. She also wanted to study the assassin a bit more. Thane was probably the only other crew member that could give her and Garrus a run for their credits in hand-to-hand combat. Hell, he could probably best them both relatively easily. That alone warranted a closer assessment.

Shepard peeked her head over a stack of crates just in time to see Grunt illuminated by a bright blue light and tossed back against the wall.

"You should have been able to evade that, Grunt."

The commander's eyes widened as the drell came into her line of sight. The stoic assassin had discarded his familiar leather jacket and vest, and was approaching the krogan from the left. Suddenly, Shepard felt awkward - like a creepy voyeur - but she couldn't turn away from the shirtless vision in front of her. Thane, the solemn, prayerful, recluse was... he was hot! His slender physique was muscular, strong, and well-defined. _Definitely the product of that intense hanar training he had mentioned_ , Shepard thought to herself, _or were all drell blessed with such statuesque bodies?_ Her dark eyes roamed over the assassin's form, noting just how beautiful his green scales seemed to glisten under the harsh lighting in the cargo hold. His back and torso were adorned with the darker green markings that resembled tribal tattoos - the same markings that trailed over the back of the his head and along his neck.

Shepard lingered over his toned arms, his chest, his stomach. The drell's pants sat low on his hips and Shepard caught a glimpse of crimson frills peeking out from the waistband. Thane's physique was exotic, yet similar to that of a human male. Shepard unconsciously bit her lower lip. She wondered about any other physical similarities...

_Wait, what?_

Shepard slipped back behind the crates. She felt her cheeks warm and shook her head. _This is insanely inappropriate_ , she thought as she quietly made her way back to the elevator. She'd ask Thane about his upgrade ideas later. There was another loud thud and a series of krogan curses as the elevator doors closed. Shepard closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She needed a shower - a cold one at that.

* * *

  
Shepard took a moment to compose herself as the doors to Miranda's office closed behind her. By playing nice with Cerberus, Miranda Lawson had, essentially, been made Shepard's second-in-command, at least on paper. In reality, everyone on board knew that the turian, Garrus Vakarian, was Shepard's XO. The Cerberus formalities were enough to drive Shepard insane. It wasn't anything personal against Miranda well, Shepard ran a hand through her hair... okay so she did not care much for the woman at all, but she would do what was necessary to complete the mission.

The commander curled her loose hair over an ear and looked over her datapad. She still needed to check in with Thane about any upgrade suggestions before the Normandy took on the Omega 4 Relay. _Thane_. The limber, hard-bodied, piece of drell perfection. The perfect killing machine with his fluid movements, his dancer's grace, his dark eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul, leaving her exposed. _Dammit Shepard_ , she thought herself, _keep it professional_. She straightened her posture and headed down the hall. She was Commander Rosario Shepard. She was on a mission and no silly infatuation with a mysterious assassin would unnerve her.

_Just how similar were drell males to human males?_

Hell.

Shepard hesitated outside of the life support area momentarily, before palming her entry. "Thane?" she called from the doorway, "do you have a minute to go over some ship upgrade options?"

There was no response.

"Thane?"

Shepard stepped inside and moved toward the small table in the back of the room. It was empty. Her fingers danced over the datapad as she made note to check in with the assassin at a later time. She turned toward the door and, upon its opening, promptly ran into the room's elusive occupant. The collision sent her datapad flying from her grasp. A swift, green hand caught it before it hit the floor.

"Commander?" the assassin acknowledged evenly, his dark eyes stared into the woman's widening brown ones.

Shepard realized then that Thane was still shirtless and her eyes glanced over the drell's form. His green scales varied in their shading with freckles of darker green and black decorating his figure. His abs were well-defined, as was his chest, to which Shepard noticed, did not have any nipples - drells were not mammalian after all. Shepard's heart began to race and, suddenly, she felt very light-headed.

"Commander?" Thane asked again, "did you need something?" He raised an eyeridge as he studied her face. She was nervous.

"Uh..." Shepard could not think straight. "It looks like I caught you at a bad time, Thane. I'll come back," she said as a she made a move to go around him. The assassin countered, blocking her leave.

"It's not a bad time," Thane rumbled smoothly. He stepped forward into the room, forcing the commander to step back. The doors closed behind him as he continued to eye the human woman with interest. "What did you need, Shepard?"

"I'd... been meaning to ask if you had any upgrade recommendations for the Normandy," Shepard stated, holding the drell's gaze. She noticed that his irises were emerald green, beautifully encompassed in the dark pools of his eyes. She continued, "We just need all ideas to give us our best shot at surviving passage through the Omega 4 Relay."

"Indeed," the assassin stated simply. He took another step closer toward the commander, moving to her side, aligning her just right. When she turned to face him again, he stepped closer, causing her to step back against the wall. "Is that what you wanted earlier when you visited the cargo hold?" Thane asked. He gave a small grin, "Yes, you were seen, Commander. I am an assassin after all. I must always be aware of my surroundings." He stepped forward again and placed a hand against the wall between Shepard and the door, blocking her exit. "Is that what you wanted to ask me then? My thoughts about... upgrades?"

Shepard's lips parted slightly; they were dry. She was hot, literally, she had never been this close to the drell and his intense presence was blazing. What the hell was he doing? Her tongue ran over her lips and she tried to speak. No words would come.

Thane continued to assess the woman. Her light brown flesh was becoming flush with color, her breath had quickened with each step closer he had taken, her smell had... changed. 

"You're nervous, Shepard," Thane observed, his eyes roamed over her face, "don't be. I told you that my arm was yours. I won't harm you."

"Then why are you doing this?" Shepard asked, looking up into the drell's unreadable face.

"Doing what?"

"You know exactly what you're doing, Thane," Shepard returned, unamused. She started to move from his snare, but was stopped as the assassin inched closer. His power and presence was alluring.

"How," Shepard began curiously, "how many ways could you kill me, right now?"

It was Thane's turn to look surprised, but he quickly regained his composure. "Is that all that you see in me, Shepard? A killer?"

Shepard swallowed, "Most of us here have killed someone."

"But you do not stress the same fear or apprehension with them as you do with me," Thane said. His dark eyes narrowed in thought. "Ten. Ten relatively easy courses of action. Three involving this datapad." He let it slip to the floor and brought his free hand up to touch her face.

"Three include your neck as the main focus." His fingers glided along the length of her neck. He watched her silently for a moment, his eyes studying her reaction as his fingers continued to caress her soft, human skin. His slender, green fingers moved across her collar bone, down the middle of her chest.

"Two at your sternum." 

His touch left her.

"And, and the rest?" Shepard hesitantly asked.

Thane smirked slightly before his face took on a more serious look. He leaned in close, feeling the curve of her breasts against his bare chest. His lips graced her ear as he whispered to her. His vibrating voice made the woman shiver underneath him.

"I'd rather not think of such things, Shepard." His breath was hot against her sensitive skin, "I'd rather think of the many different ways I could fuck you... right here, right now."

Shepard gasped as the drell ran his tongue over her ear. Her vision blurred.

"I...I can't."

"I can smell your arousal, Shepard. I can see how your soft skin flushes in color." Thane nibbled at her earlobe. "I saw how you looked at me Shepard. I can see how your body reacts to me now." His supple lips move down to her jaw.

Shepard close her eyes. It was getting harder to think. "I don't...want..."

Thane pulled away slightly and gave the commander of predatory grin, "You don't want what, Shepard? You don't want to satisfy your curiosity about me? You don't want to yield to your...very apparent physical attraction to me?" He raked his eyes over her body. "Why?"

"It's...it's not proper. Not professional and I don't know you," Shepard said with a small voice.

The drell laughed, "Since when has Commander Shepard been proper?" He reached a finger to curl some of her dark hair, "And you _could_ know me, Shepard. As I want to know you." His hand gently nestled at the back of Shepard's head, burying itself into her thick mass of hair. He leaned closer, tilting her head just a bit.

"Would you turn me away if I kissed you now? If I slipped my tongue over yours to taste you?" Thane's lips tugged upwards slightly as he noticed Shepard shaking her head.

"I wouldn't."

"I imagine you would taste devine, Shepard... sweet," Thane whispered as he teasingly brushed his lips against hers. He did not kiss her.

"And would you turn me away if I told you that I was going to bend you over that table and make you scream my name until Vakarian himself came to check on you?" The assassin's dark eyes sparkled mischievously. Dangerously. "What do you think the turian would say if he barged in here, intending to save you from your screams, but instead found you with your arms and legs wrapped desperately around me as I fucked you mercilessly?"

Shepard closed her eyes and licked her lips again. "Oh god," she breathed, shakily.

The assassin smirked, "Well, now I'm curious, aren't you?"

Shepard nodded, consumed with burning desire and curiosity. "Yes," she sighed.

He kissed her then, his lips hungrily devouring hers. Shepard felt his strong arms wrap around her waist and she melted into his embrace. His kiss was liquid fire, passion incarnate and it took everything that Shepard had not to have her legs go out. His tongue was more textured than a human's, but the sensation was not unpleasant. She brought her hands to his shoulders, his firm muscles rippled under her touch. She slid her nails over his arms, earning a deep growl from the drell. It excited her beyond all comprehension.

Thane reached his hands to the zipper on her back and pulled it down to its base atop the curve of her rear. He slipped his hands inside to caress the smooth skin of her back. Then, with a desperate sense of urgency, he roughly grabbed at her loosened tunic and tugged forward, exposing her. He pushed the material down over her hips, grabbing the waistband of her leggings along the way. Soon, the commander was naked before him. His hands roamed over her bare arms, along her sides. His lips trailed hot kisses down her neck. He bit her as a vibrating rumble escaped, vocalizing a primal desire to claim her. His hands cupped her ass firmly and he hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and moved swiftly to the small table.

Shepard lazily watched through hooded eyes at the drell removed his leather pants. The crimson frills, which she had noticed earlier in the day, trailed over his hip bones and his groin. She took a deep breath has her dark brown eyes drank him in. The darker markings continued over his lower body, gracing his strong thighs and hips. Thane was a sight to behold. He was, quite possibly, the most beautiful being that Shepard had ever seen. Even his cock was beautiful, as strange as it was for Shepard to admit. It too varied in coloring, as shades of green and crimson blended along his length. She reached out to touch him and was promptly spun around.

Thane's cock pressed hard and firm against the top of her ass. "Are you ready for me, Shepard?" He breathed into her ear, "or should I play with you some?" His hand slid over her stomach, between her thighs. His fingers were instantly coated in her arousal.

"So... you are ready. Good." He teased her sensitive nub for a bit while his other hand cupped her breasts.

"I cannot wait to hear you drowning in ecstasy, Shepard," Thane confessed, leaning her forward. He kissed the sensitive skin of her back as he aligned himself at her core and pushed forward.

Shepard gave a long, pleasure-filled moan as the drell entered her from behind. His thrusts were shallow at first, teasing, as they both adjusted to the feel of the other. She wanted more and at that moment, her eagerness must have been apparent. She felt the drell grip her ass firmly before slamming into her, causing her to cry out. Shepard braced herself, as best as she could, for his passionate assault.

Thane Krios fucked the same way that he killed - skillfully, artistically, attentively. He swirled his hips _just so_  to get more of a rise out of the commander. Occasionally, he would smack her ass or reach a hand around to tease her clit. He'd moan with her, vibrating deep in his chest, as he continued to move within her tight body. His erotic rhythm continued.

Shepard was hot, so hot as sweat formed at her brow. She slipped a hand between her legs to join along with his teasing, getting more and more turned on as their fingers worked her body together. She was pulled up against his chest, his hips continuing to drive into her. His tongue ravished against the side of her neck and she gasped, feeling her approaching release. Her pants of desperation must have egged him on as the drell fucked her harder.

"Oh god...oh my god... oh shit!" she exclaimed has her body tensed, reaching euphoria. She shouted her pleasure and sang the drell praises as he continued to thrust inside of her.

Thane turned the commander around to face him, brushing her dark, damp hair from her face. He leaned down to capture a taunt nipple in his mouth.

"I'm not through with you, Shepard," the assassin stated, kissing along the curve of her breast. "I'll never be through with you. You're mine."

Thane sat her on the table, pulling her out toward him and stepped between her thighs. He entered her again and Shepard's cries of ecstasy continued throughout the night...

* * *

"Shepard! Shepard!"

Commander Shepard jolted upright in her bed at the shout of her name. Her skin was sheened with sweat and her dark hair was a frazzled mess of curls. She had been dreaming and very explicitly at that. She rubbed both hands over her face in disbelief.

_What the actual fu-_

"Shepard!" EDI boomed again.

"Yes, EDI? What is it?"

"You were shouting in your sleep, Shepard, quite... erogenously. Your vitals were elevated as well. Are you feeling well? Should I call for Dr. Chakwas?"

"No!" Shepard exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. "No. I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Very well, Shepard. You have a team briefing in one hour. Miranda has requested that everyone meet in the briefing room instead of the mess."

Shepard was still flustered - too much so to protest. "Alright. I'll be there. Thanks, EDI."

"Logging you out, Shepard."

Shepard groaned and fell back against her bed, pulling her sheet over her head. _Seriously, what the hell was that?_ She wondered frantically. _I see the guy shirtless one time and I have a sex dream about him._ She slid her hand between her legs. _Shit_. It had been a very effective dream. She closed her eyes and let her fingers work.

* * *

 

"Alright so, the reports are saying that the justicar is on Illium," Shepard informed, glancing around the room. She avoided making eye contact with the assassin.

"Ground team will consist of Garrus and..." Shepard hesitated slightly, "Jack. Joker will have us docked in four hours. Miranda and Tali, double check our supplies to see what we need. Are there any questions?" the commander asked, looking around the table. There were none.

"Dismissed."

The crew made their way out of the briefing room except for one member - the assassin. He stood at attention.

"Is everything all right, Shepard?" Thane asked.

Shepard busied herself with her datapad. "Of course, Thane. Is everything alright with you?"

The drell eyed the human female curiously. He had noticed that she had made it a point to avoid him during the meeting - not even looking at him.

"Have I done anything to upset you, Shepard? "

"What? No. Of course not," Shepard returned. She looked into his intense gaze. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't get much sleep last night. You're fine, Thane. You've been a great addition these past couple of weeks."

Thane nodded, "I'm glad that you are pleased with my... performance." He bowed politely to her. "Good luck with the justicar, Shepard. I am sure that she will find your cause worthy."

"Thank you, Thane," Shepard said with a polite nod.

"One last thing, Shepard, did you wish to speak with me yesterday? I saw you in the cargo hold."

Shepard froze.

"Uhm..." Shepard's mind raced. _Keep it professional, Shepard._ She hoped that her blush wasn't noticeable.

"I was just going to ask if you had any upgrade ideas for the Normandy. I didn't want to interrupt your sparring for that."

"I see. Well, let me review some specs and I'll have my assessment ready when you return from your mission." Thane responded.

Shepard nodded, "That would be fine."

She watched as the assassin silently left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts... and her imagination.

 


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard kind of, sort of, wants to talk about her recent dream with Garrus. Do turians dream too?
> 
> Just banter among friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Misadventures of Rosario Shepard is interconnected anyway, but Visions of a Shirtless Drell was only going to be one chapter. 
> 
> Recently, I had the notion of Shepard, a little shaken from her dream about Thane, asking Garrus if he'd ever had a sultry dream about anyone. That is what prompted this humorous, additional banter between besties.

The doors to the main battery opened with a hiss and the all-around, turian bad boy turned from his console to greet his visitor.

"Shepard, need me for something?" 

The commander smiled at her best friend, "Garrus, do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Just give me a sec - this thanix upgrade hasn't gone as smoothly as I'd like. These damn calibrations are finicky."

Shepard moved to the side of the entryway and sat on a pile of crates.

"Take your time, Garrus," Shepard said, watching the intensity in the turian's eyes.

Garrus was a genius at fine-tuning weapons. It was an obsession for the former C-Sec officer, but it was a skill that Shepard greatly admired.

"Come on girl, let's see what this does," Garrus drawled, tapping at the control panel.

"You and Joker sure like to sweet-talk the Normandy," Shepard observed.

"She deserves it," Garrus return, unfazed. "A little sweet talk to get a girl to play nice.."

Shepard laughed, "Yeah that shit doesn't work with me", Shepard said, loosening her posture.

"Of course not, Shepard, you're just wooed by assault rifle upgrades, Blasto the Hanar Spectre, and more recently, by assassins who drop from ceilings wearing tight, circulation-cutting leather.

Shepard's mouth fell open in shock, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Shepard, you can't fool me," Garrus sighed, "Kasumi and I both saw the look on your face after Krios took out Nassana's squad."

"So, I was impressed," the commander acknowledged with a shrug.

"Yeah... yeah, no Shepard.  _I_ was impressed. You were more, hmm... aroused."

"Garrus! I was not!" Shepard exclaimed.

"Shepard, you were drooling."

The commander felt her cheeks warm, "I was not aroused, I was just... you just don't see moves like that everyday. I'm not used to graceful tactics. I'm a brute force kind of woman.

Garrus chuckled, "If you say so." He finished keying at the console and turned to face his friend, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well," Shepard began, "Actually, I did want to talk about Thane."

"What about him?" Garrus asked, "the guy's too quiet to make any assessment on conversational skills."

 _He's a good conversationalist._ Shepard thought to herself. Over the past couple of weeks she had learned much about the hanar and Drell culture over cups of tea with the mysterious assassin.

"We've been out on a few missions with him now. You heard about Tuchanka. What do you think of him?" Shepard inquired from her unofficial XO.

Vakarian crossed his arms and clicked his mandibles in thought, "He's capable, skilled, _okay_  sniping skills, but we all can't be the archangel."

Shepard rolled her eyes and Garrus continued.

"I wouldn't want to meet the guy and a dark alley, that's for sure."

The commander nodded, "Yeah, I agree with you there."

"What do you think of him, Shepard?" The turian returned.

"I think he's a fit and he's been opening up some during my rounds. He seems to be getting along with Grunt okay - Kasumi as well, which is not surprising. They both are the shadowy sort." Shepard reported.

"Yeah, I heard that Krios was tossing Grunt around. How's that been working out?"

Shepard's thoughts drifted to a couple of nights ago when she had, had that surprising dream about the drell assassin. Since then, a part of her secretly wished that the dream would continue.

"I think it's been beneficial," Shepard stated, pulling her focus back to the conversation at hand. "I caught a session the other day. Pretty intense."

"Huh. Well, is Krios all that you wanted to talk about?" Garrus asked curiously.

"Yeah, just wanted your take - like some of the others," Shepard replied, fidgeting slightly.

"He's definitely more stable than Massani, that's for sure," Garrus added, "although, I do enjoy hearing about Jesse."

Shepard smiled and shook her head.

"Garrus?"

Garrus chuckled. He knew that when Shepard started out like that, one of her famous random questions was lingering behind.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had dreams about your colleagues?"

Random question indeed. In his experiences, humans were an inquisitive species and Shepard was no exception.

"I'm not sure that I follow you, Shepard. What kind of dreams? Like your Prothean ones?"

"No," Shepard drifted, "I mean like, Tali. Have you ever had a _nice_ dream about her?"

Garrus flared his mandibles in surprise, "Tali and I are just friends, Shepard."

"I know you are, Garrus, but I've seen you flirt with her. You've grown a soft spot for her since our elevator days."

Garrus laughed.

"Come on, it's me. _Just_ friends or not, have you ever had a dream about Tali?" Shepard pried again.

The turian let out a long sigh, "Yeah, sure. When you spend a lot of time with someone - especially under stressful conditions - sure, you may dream of that person. But it's not like I'd ever act on -"

Garrus stopped abruptly and his eyes widened.

"What?" Shepard asked defensively.

"Oh you were totally aroused, weren't you, Shepard? Did you have a reach and flexibility dream about Krios?" The turians smooth voice oozed with amusement.

"Shut up, Garrus."

"Shepard, the guy hardly ever says more than two sentences. And, how do you know he's even available or into humans for that matter?" Garrus asked, eyeing his friend curiously.

Shepard crossed her arms, "It was only a dream, it doesn't mean anything. Like you said, being around someone in stressful situations. If fighting a thresher maw on foot with an adolescent krogan isn't stressful, then I don't know what is."

 _Yeah_. Shepard reasoned to herself. "Besides, I'm not going to act on a dream."

"Have you ever dreamed about me, Shepard?" Garrus asked. He wasn't about to let his friend off the hook that easily.

"What!" 

"How many stressful situations have we been in Shepard - since Saren?"

Shepard groaned.

"I'm listening," the turian teased.

"I've never dreamed about you like _that_ , Garrus. Only about continuing to kick your ass in our field competitions!"

Garrus chuckled and shook his head, "Look, it happens, Shepard. You have no control over it. Maybe, maybe this is your mind letting you have some fun after the whole Horizon thing with Alenko."

"Yeah," Shepard scoffed at the memory of her fight with Kaidan. She planted her feet down and stood, "I should go."

Garrus frowned slightly, noting the changed tone in his best friend's reply.

"You know, Shepard, since we're having a moment here, sharing secrets and all, I'll give you one more," Garrus said, bringing up the console again to check his calibrations.

"Oh yeah? What's that, Vakarian?" Shepard asked as she placed her hand by the door controls.

"Between you and me, I was totally aroused too," Garrus said with a wink.

Shepard laughed. She laughed so hard that two tears streamed down her face.

"Oh," she breathed, trying to compose herself, "I love you, Garrus. I really do."

The turian waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. Later Shepard."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
